BURY

The parish of Bury, of which two townships—
Cowpe-Lench and Musbury—lie in the hundred of
Blackburn, has an area of 24,915 acres. The Irwell
flows southward through the middle of it, and it is
bounded by hills on the east, west, and north, those
in Tottington attaining elevations of 1,200 to
1,500 ft. The Carboniferous Rocks occur throughout the parish. At Bury, Elton, and Redvales the
Coal Measures cover a considerable area; elsewhere
the Lower Coal Measures occur, except between
Walmersley and Birtle, where the Millstone Grit is
thrown up by faults.

Anciently there were only two manors or townships in the parish, but these were later subdivided,
the old 'hamlets' becoming townships; and in recent
years great changes have been made in the boundaries
to accord with the changes that have taken place in
the distribution of the population and the resulting
progress of local government. To the county lay of
1624 Bury and its hamlets paid £6 16s. 6d., and
Tottington £3 8s. 3d., when the hundred contributed
£100. (fn. 1) To the fifteenth the payments respectively
were £2 3s. 4d. and 15s. 8d. out of £41 14s. 4d. (fn. 2)

There is evidence in the history of the town of
Bury of the disturbances raised by Adam Banastre in
the time of Edward II, Henry de Bury being killed by
his emissaries. Many people of the district no doubt
accompanied the Pilkingtons, whose fortified dwelling
stood in the town, to the foreign wars, as well as to
the fatal fields of Bosworth and Stoke. There were
also domestic wars nearer home; for about 1447 a
number of the people of Butterworth and Spotland,
having gathered a company of sixty 'malefactors,' came
to Bury arrayed in manner of war, with a white
banner carried before them; they then marched off
to Hundersfield in Rochdale, where the demonstration ended in the death of one Roger Smethley. It
seems to have been intended to intimidate the Holts. (fn. 3)

The Reformation appears to have passed by without any resistance or opposition, the people here, as
in the neighbourhood, soon becoming favourable to
the Puritans. On a certain Sunday of July 1588
the town was disturbed by a number of Oldham men,
who, in time of divine service, made 'foul disorders'
by galloping horses in the street, shouting and piping;
'a lamentable spectacle in the place of preaching
ministry,' as the narrator remarks. (fn. 4) About the same
time the mining industry comes into notice, by a
dispute concerning 'mines, delphs, and pits of coal.' (fn. 5)
The making of woollen yarn had been mentioned by
Leland fifty years earlier.

In the Civil War the lord of Bury took the lead on
the king's side, and the rector was also a Royalist,
while John Greenhalgh and Edward Nuttall distinguished themselves in the same cause. A conflict
is reported to have taken place close to the town of
Bury on 14 August 1648. (fn. 6) The restoration of
Charles II was cordially welcomed in Bury, (fn. 7) but the
revolution appears to have been acquiesced in as
readily, and nothing is known of any Jacobite sympathizers in the risings of the 18th century.

In 1798, during the French War, a volunteer
force was created under the name of the Loyal Bury
Volunteer Association. (fn. 8) A rifle corps was formed in
1859, and the town is now the head quarters of the
5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (Territorials). (fn. 9)

Bury has had its share in the great development of
Lancashire manufactures, and here, as elsewhere, distress in times of bad trade produced disturbances, of
which the most notable examples were the riots of
1826, (fn. 10) and the 'plug drawing' of 1842. The agricultural land in the parish is now apportioned thus:
Arable land, 1,315 acres; permanent grass, 12,691;
woods and plantations, 61. The following are
details:—

Arable acres

Grass acres

Woods, &c. acres

Bury

180

1,248

8

Elton

143

1,723

14

Heywood

903

1,435

—

Tottington

26

2,032

—

Ramsbottom

7

3,533

39

Walmersley

56

2,720

—

The worthies of the parish include Henry Dunster,
1609–59, the first president of Harvard; Captain
William Kay, who took part in the defence of Lathom
House in 1644, and died a prisoner for debt in
Lancaster Castle in 1670; Edward Rothwell, a Nonconformist divine, who ministered in Bury, Holcombe,
and the district, and died in 1731; John Warburton,
1682–1759, book collector; Josiah Nuttall, naturalist,
1771–1849; John Ainsworth, local historian, born
near Chamber Hall, 1777–1858; (fn. 11) James Bateman,
botanist, born at Redvales in 1811, and died at
Worthing in 1897; Sir James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth, bart., a founder of the system of school inspection, 1804–77; his brother, Sir Edward Ebenezer
Kay, judge, 1822–97; Sir John Holker, politician
and judge, 1828–82; and Sir William Hardman,
1828–90, sometime Recorder of Kingston and editor
of the Morning Post. Lives of most of them will be
found in the Dictionary of National Biography. Others
are noticed in the different townships.

Church

The church of ST. MARY stands in
the centre of the town, to the north of
the market-place, on an ancient site, but
is itself a modern building erected entirely in the
19th century. A church is said to have been built
here in the 13th century, and restored or rebuilt
about 1535; but it had fallen into a state of decay
by the middle of the 18th century, and in the year
1773 was taken down, with the exception of the tower,
and a new building erected between the years 1773
and 1780. Old prints show this church to have been
rectangular in plan, with a square projecting chancel,
built in pseudo-Gothic style, with two tiers of pointed
windows, straight parapets, and drafted angle quoins.
The tower, which is described in 1829 as an 'old
small semi-spire steeple' detracting from the appearance of the church, (fn. 12) having been damaged in 1839,
was taken down four years later, and the present
tower and broach spire built in 1844–5. The 18thcentury church stood till 1870, when the chancel
was taken down and the present one begun; but in
the course of reconstruction the whole of the old
building was declared to be unsafe, and was pulled
down in 1872. The present handsome church was
erected between 1870 and 1876, Mr. F. S. Crowther
being the architect, and consists of an apsidal chancel
56 ft. 6 in. long by 27 ft. 8 in. wide, with south chapel
and north vestry, nave 84 ft. 6 in. long by 30 ft. wide,
with north and south aisles and south porch. The
tower of 1845 was retained at the west end, and is
joined on to the new church by a wide narthex extending the whole width of the nave and aisles, to
which it is open by three arches. The building is of
stone, in the style of the 14th century, with lofty
clearstory and roof, quite overshadowing the tower
and spire, which, though too big for the church as it
was before 1870, is now too small. The interior is
partly lined with bricks, and is a fine example of
modern Gothic work. The height of the chancel is
63 ft., and that of the nave 76 ft. The fittings, like
the structure, are all modern, and there is nothing
about the building of antiquarian interest.

The churchyard was enlarged in 1843, and closed
for interments in 1855. It is paved with headstones
laid flat, and has an 18th-century pedestal sundial on
the north side.

There is a ring of eight bells, six by A. Rudhall of
Gloucester, 1722, recast by Mears & Stainbank, and
the two trebles by Taylor & Co., of Loughborough,
1892. (fn. 13)

The plate is all modern, and consists of two chalices
of 1860–1, two patens of the same date, and a silver
bread-box given by Archdeacon Blackburne. One of
the patens is inscribed 'The gift of Elizabeth Plant,
relict of Thomas Plant, to the church of Bury,' and
the other 'The gift of Mary Hutchinson, relict of
William Hutchinson, to the church of Bury.' There
are also two large plated flagons given by the Rev.
James Bankes (rector 1710–43), and a plated paten.

The registers date from 1590 (baptisms 1590,
marriages and burials 1591), and have been printed, up
to 1698, by the Lancashire Parish Register Society. (fn. 14)

There is a clock and chimes in the tower, given in
1903 by Mr. Henry Whitehead, High Sheriff of
Lancashire.

Advowson

The church of Bury is known to
have existed at the end of the 12th
century. The patronage has always
descended with the lordship of the manor, (fn. 15) the Earl
of Derby now having the right of presentation. In
1291 the income was taxed at 20 marks, (fn. 16) but fifty
years later the ninth of sheaves, wool, &c., was only
worth half that sum, Bury proper contributing
102s. 2d., and the moiety of Tottington 31s. 2d. (fn. 17)
The gross value of the rectory in 1534 was returned
as £30 6s. 8d. (fn. 18) Nearly two centuries later it was
given as about £250. (fn. 19) A large amount of the glebe
lying in the town of Bury, the rector was empowered
in 1764 to grant building leases for ninety-nine
years. (fn. 20) This greatly enhanced the rector's income,
which in 1834 was nearly, £2,000, and afterwards
increased. It is now given as £2,000. (fn. 21)

Little is known of the condition of the pre-Reformation clergy. There was no endowed chantry at
the parish church, but probably each of the chapels of
ease, at Holcombe, Edenfield, and Heywood, had a
curate of its own. Richard Smith, rector in 1542,
paid a curate, and the stipend of another assistant
priest was contributed by Charles Nuttall and others. (fn. 56)
In 1548, however, only the rector and these two
assistants are named in the bishop's visitation list; in
1554 there were four, a curate having been found for
Edenfield; the same names reappear in 1563, when
the rector was 'excused,' perhaps for absence, and two
years later there are five names in the list—showing
an increase in the number. This extraordinary statement is somewhat modified by the fact that two of
those named did not appear, and that another's name
was marked out, the active clergy being reduced to
the rector and his curate, Roger Hodgkinson. (fn. 57) It
was reported to the royal commissioners in 1559 that
the curate of Bury did not read the Gospel, Epistle,
Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments, according to
the proclamation. (fn. 58) A similar indifference or hostility,
though perhaps from other causes, appears in 1592,
when the rector and curate were ordered to use the
Catechism, go the perambulations, and 'observe her
majesty's injunctions in all things'; the churchwardens were to provide Jewell's Reply and Apology. (fn. 59)
About 1610 the incumbent was 'a preacher,' and the
three chapels were 'maintained by the inhabitants.' (fn. 60)

During the sequestration under the Commonwealth
the curates in charge preached constantly every Sabbath
day and once every Thursday, the market day, keeping
a constant lecture there, as had been accustomed;
they lived in the parsonage house. (fn. 61) The Restoration
appears to have been quietly accepted in Bury itself,
where the two landowners, the Earl of Derby and the
rector, were both Royalists. Nonconformists, however,
were numerous, and in 1669 the vicar reported to the
Bishop of Chester that he heard that several conventicles were 'constantly kept at private houses of
Independents, Presbyterians, Dippers and other such
like jointly, of the bset rank of the yeomanry and
other inferiors.' (fn. 62) The matter became evident after
the Revolution, (fn. 63) and Bury has now, like other Lancashire parishes, provision for a great variety of worship
and doctrine.

Charities

Apart from the grammar school at
Bury, founded in 1625 and refounded
in 1726, (fn. 64) and some other endowments
for ecclesiastical and educational purposes, the general
charitable funds have an income of about £190 a
year. (fn. 65) Some ancient benefactions have been lost.
The whole parish participates in the sums given by
John Guest in 1653, (fn. 66) Thomas Rothwell in 1737, (fn. 67)
and Rector Bankes in 1743. (fn. 68) The old manor or
township of Bury, including Bury, Heap, Elton, and
Walmersley, benefits under the will of Samuel
Waring, 1742. (fn. 69) Bury proper had in 1828 two small
charities. (fn. 70) In Heap, in addition to Heywood School,
1737, is the foundation of John Nuttall, 1763, (fn. 71) with
the more substantial recent gifts of William Clegg,
1887, and others. (fn. 72) Walmersley had a school at
Baldingstone, founded in 1716, (fn. 73) and over £22 for
the general benefit of the poor, the gifts of Richard
Haworth, 1760, (fn. 74) and John Hall, 1867. (fn. 75) The most
considerable single charity is that founded in 1892–6
by Miss Nancy Haworth for the poor of Walshaw,
partly in Tottington Lower End and partly in Elton. (fn. 76)
Tottington has old school endowments and some gifts
for the poor, including £35 a year from Miss Jane
Brennand's bequest in 1882. (fn. 77) The township of
Cowpe Lench participates in Mrs. Alice Martha
Crabtree's bequest. (fn. 78)

Footnotes

6. B. T. Barton, Hist, of Bury, 35. The
writer admits that the story is merely
traditional; the 'castle' is said to have
been finally destroyed at this time. It
was said that for many successive years
all the grain grown on the place of conflict in Bury Lanc (now Bolton Street)
was 'streaked as if with gore,' due to the
blood shed there. Butcher Lanc is said
to have been named from a butcher who,
being pursued in the fighting, made his
horse leap across both the hedges bordering the lane; ibid. 44. The name, however, occurs earlier.
It may be added that the History quoted
was a compilation from earlier writers and
was issued in 1874. The author died in
1896.

7. For an account of the festivities see
Manch. Guardian Local N. and Q. no.
577, quoting Parl. Intelligence, no. 27
(2 July 1660).

12. Jas. Butterworth, Bury, 1829.
The church of 1775 was thus described
in 1824: 'The new building is spacious
and handsome, but the old small halfspire steeple detracts from its appearance
and ought to have shared the fate of the
body of the church;' Baines, Lancs. Dir.
i, 577. Canon Raines on the other hand
says: 'In 1773 the nave of the church
was rebuilt in a debased style, and in
1843 the fine old tower and spire were
with difficulty razed and rebuilt;' Notitia
Cestr. (Chet. Soc), ii, 28.
An organ was first placed in the church
in 1752; Barton, Bury, 298. This work
has a view of the church of 1775 as
frontispiece.

13. a These are recastings of two bells
added to the original ring of six in 1843.
The sixth and seventh bells are inscribed
with the initials of A. Rudhall, the
date 1722, and the names of the churchwardens of that year.

19. Bishop Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet.
Soc), ii, 27, 28. In 1673 there were
five wardens and five assistants; about
1718 there were six churchwardens, viz.
one for Bury, chosen by the rector; one
each for Heap, Walmersley, and Elton,
chosen by the rector out of three presented for each of these hamlets; and
two named by Tottington. In 1552
there were four churchwardens for Bury,
and a warden for each of the three
chapels-of-ease; in 1850 it was the custom for the rector to nominate a warden
and sidesman without any parish meeting,
the other townships sending in three
names, of which the rector chose two;
Cb. Gds. (Chet. Soc), 45, 47.

20. Raines, op. cit. ii, 28; the Act is
printed in Barton, Bury, 149. In 1824
half the town was said to be glebe, the
other half being the Earl of Derby's
leasehold.

22. He was one of the witnesses to the
foundation charter of Burscough Priory;
as his name stands third, after the Archdeacon and the Prior of Norton, he could
not have been a mere stipendiary chaplain; Farrer, Lancs. Pipe R.350.

23. Henry, parson of Bury, attested a
grant by Roger de Montbegon before
1226; Hopwood D.

24. There was in 1275 a dispute as to
2 acres of land between Geoffrey, rector
of Bury, and Richard son of Robert, the
former claiming them as the free alms of
his church, and the latter as his lay fee;
De Banco R. 7, m. 33.
About the same time a Geoffrey de
Bury, not described as parson or clerk,
was witness to a grant to Stanlaw Abbey;
Wballey Coucher (Chet. Soc), ii, 481.

25. He was ordained deacon in 1311 on
the presentation of Siegrith, lady of Urmston; Lich. Epis. Reg. i, fol. 114b.

26. Ibid, i, fol. 86; he was a priest,
and exchanged the rectory of Radcliffe
for that of Bury. He took part in the
rebellion of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster,
in 1322, being present with Robert de
Holland at Ravensdale after the king had
forbidden the assembly. He was fined
10 marks; Coram Rege R. 254, m. 61
(where he is called Richard de Bury,
parson of the church of Bury).

27. Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 100b; he
was a clerk. He is no doubt the Adam
de Bury of the next presentation. Adam,
rector of Bury, was ordained subdeacon
in Sept. 1325, and priest a year later;
ibid, i, 150, 152.

28. Ibid, ii, fol. 107b; a clerk. In
1334 John son of Robert de Radcliffe,
rector of Bury, was accused of maintenance; Coram Rege R. 8 Edw. III,
m. 3. He was among those charged
with complicity in the death of Sir William de Bradshagh; Cal. Fat. 1330–4,
pp.498, 572.

29. Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 110; a
priest. It is probable that John de Radcliffe had failed to comply with the canons,
or had incurred censure through the proceedings mentioned in the last note, and
that he resigned, Henry de Over taking
his place for three months, so that he
might secure a fresh presentation.
It should be noted that an Adam, parson of Bury, and Roger his brother are
named in 1337; Cal. Pat. 1334–8, p. 452.

30. Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 110; an
acolyte. John de Radcliffe, as a trustee,
is frequently mentioned. In 1343 he
was charged with trespasses against the
peace, including a part in the murder of
Adain de Lever at Liverpool; Assize R.
430, m. 18d.; Coram Rege R. 344,
m. 8; and two years later secured a
pardon by offering to go to Gascony, or
elsewhere, for a year at his own charges
on the king's service; Cal. Pat. 1343–5,
p. 531. He died on 22 Aug. 1367. His
son John became lord of Chadderton, but
was illegitimate, the next-of-kin and
heir of John the rector being Ralph son
of William de Radcliffe; De Banco R.
426, m. 35; R. 435, m. 139.

32. Lich. Epis. Reg. vii, fol. 95b; he
had only the first tonsure. A Thomas
de Hilton was prebendary of York in
1401 and 1404; Le Neve, Fasti, iii, 171,
224.
Thomas de Hulton in 1427 agreed to
allow Thurstan de Langley, rector of
Prestwich, to receive all the tithes, mortuaries, oblations, &c., within the town
of Tottington and Tottington Frith, according to the sentence given in the
Court Christian at Warrington, before
Richard de Stanley, Archdeacon of Chester, or his official; Agecroft D. 75.

34. Ibid, xii, fol. 100b; a priest.
George Pilkington, chaplain, was a
younger son of Robert Pilkington, and
was about 1462 a defendant with his
brothers, Thomas, Edmund, &c., in a
charge of robbery made by Peter Legh;
Pal. of Lanc. Plea R. 24, m. 27 d. In
1481 George Pilkington, rector of Bury,
Robert Pilkington, late of Little Lever,
and others, were summoned to answer for
aiding and abetting divers felonies; Pal.
of Lanc. Writs Proton, file 22 Edw. IVb.

36. Ibid, xiii-xiv, fol. 55. Richard
Smith appears to have been presented a
second time, on 21 Oct. 1507, by Sir
Henry Halsall and Sir John Ireland;
Act Bks. at Chester. He held the rectory for fifty years, appearing at the
bishop's visitation in 1554. In 1523 it
was reported to the Chancellor of the
Duchy that he had been presented by the
Earl of Derby, and that the rectory was
worth 40 marks.
A few years later Richard Smith complained that he had appointed a parish
clerk, but John Greenhalgh and others,
probably as claiming a voice in the nomination, had combined against the new
clerk and the rector. On the Sunday
before All Saints' Day 1526, they came
to church in the morning, 'making
semblance as though they had come to
hear there divine service,' but bearing
weapons concealed under their clothes.
The rector, having said his hours, went in
procession, the clerk preceding him with
the crucifix as usual, when the confederates sprang up and attacked them,
snatching the crucifix from the clerk's
hands and casting it down, 'using themselves more like Jews and Paynims than
otherwise.' There was 'no mass nor
other divine service' in church that Sunday. On Hallowmass itself the rector,
fearing to come abroad in the daylight,
came into the said church early in the
spring of the day, intending to have served
Almighty God as to him of duty did appertain,' but found John Greenhalgh and the
others lying in wait, and had to refrain
'from saying of mass and other service.'
This seems to have gone on until the
following January; Duchy Plead. (Rec
Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), i, 151–3.
In 1542 Smith was official of
Chester; Duchy Plead, ii, 154. He built
a chapel on the north aisle of his church,
no doubt intending to found a chantry
there, but lived to see the spoliation of
these endowments and the restoration of
the old religion under Mary. Hugh
Watmough, rector in 1614, allowed
Roger Kay of Widdell to make a seat
in the north chapel, which chapel had
been erected by Richard Smith, formerly
rector, and repaired by his successors;
Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxi, fol. 265.

37. Act Bks. at Chester Dioc. Reg.
Hugh Jones presented by grant of the
Earl of Derby. The new rector paid
first-fruits 1 Oct. 1557; Lancs. and Ches.
Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), ii,
409. He was probably one of the Jones
family of Middleton. His will, made in
1568, is printed in Piccope, Wills (Chet.
Soc), ii, 223. To the curate, Sir Roger
Hodgkinson, he bequeathed, among other
goods, his surplice and £5.

39. In 1572 there was a disputed presentation to the rectory. One John Shireburne, brother of Roger Shireburne of
Chipping, claimed to be admitted, but had
to submit to a searching examination.
He professed himself 'obedient to the
Queen's Majesty's proceedings in religion.'
He had been in the company of Sir John
Southworth. Though he had not preached
at Blackburn denouncing the 'nakedness of
the Church of England for want of ceremonies,' he had extolled good works in a
sermon. Robert Cottam, a priest, once
curate of Longridge, had paid him a visit
when he lay sick. As being resident in
Lord Derby's house he did not himself
teach the Catechism to the youth of the
parish. The Communion, he believed,
was administered once a year only, unless
sick folk asked for it. He had never
been at burials or wakes; Raines MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), xxii, fol. 531. From these
replies it would appear that he had actually been in charge for some time, though
not instituted. The admission asked for
was no doubt refused, but Shireburne became rector of Brindle (q.v.).

40. Paid first-fruits zo Nov. 1572; Lancs.
and Ches. Rec. ii, 410. Collated to the
sixth prebendal stall at Durham, 1572;
Le Neve, Fasti, iii, 313. He was plaintiff in a tithe case in 1598; Ducatus Lanc.
(Rec. Com.), iii, 386. The 'wife of John
Shaw, old Mrs. Shaw, the parson's
mother,' was buried 4 May 1597, and the
parson himself on 11 July 1608; Bury
Reg. His son became rector of Radcliffe.

42. The dates of institution, &c., from
this time onward to 1800 are taken from
the Inst. Bks. P.R.O., as printed in
Lancs. and Ches. Antiq. Notes. For
fuller accounts of the modern rectors see
Baines, Lancs. (ed. Croston), iii, 98–101.
George Murray was of Queens' College,
Cambridge, and had been tutor of Lord
Strange; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii,
fol. 72. He paid first-fruits 17 Nov.
1623; Lancs. and Ches. Rec. ii, 412
(where the name is given as Massye). He
was a prebendary of Lichfield from 1623
to 1633; Le Neve, Fasti, i, 590, 602.
Buried 12 Mar. 1632–3; Bury Reg. His
will was proved at Chester in 1633.

43. Paid first-fruits 31 May 1633; Lancs.
and Ches. Rec. ii, 413. The name is also
spelt Travis. Shortly afterwards he was
appointed rector of Halsall, retaining both
benefices till ejected by the Parliamentarians, on account of his zealous adhesion
to the royal side in the war. On 24 April
1645 it was ordered that as Peter Travers
was 'disaffected to the Parliament and the
proceedings thereof,' and was actually at
Lathom House, a hostile garrison, his
rectory should be sequestered; and that
William Alt and Andrew Lathom, 'godly
and orthodox divines,' should 'officiate the
cure' and take for their pains the rectory
house, tithes, and other profits. Mr. Lathom dying, Mr. Toby Furness, another
'godly and orthodox divine,' was 'settled
in the rectory' in his place. A tenth
part of the profits was paid to Mrs. Dorothy Travers, wife of the sequestered rector,
for the maintenance of herself and her
children; Commonwealth Ch. Surv. (Rec.
Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), 38–40. It is
clear that the three ministers named were
rather curates in charge during the sequestration than rectors. Toby Furness had
had a similar charge at Prestwich; he
signed the 'Harmonious Consent' in 1648,
and continued to minister at Bury till his
death about 1653; Bury Classis (Chet.
Soc.), i, 90, 135. For Andrew Lathom,
see ibid, ii, 242–4; his will is printed.
An incident of the time should be recorded: The Manchester Parliamentarians
took from the church of Bury 'the surplice, and put it on the back of a soldier,
and caused him to ride in the cart the
arms were carried in, to be matter of sport
and laughter to the beholders'; Lancs.
War (Chet. Soc), 11.

44. Rector Travers appears to have died
by 1654, for Halsall as well as Bury was
filled up in that year; Plund. Mins. Accts.
(Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), ii, 49, 60.
William Alt, as 'minister of Bury,' signed
the 'Harmonious Consent' of 1648. He
had been a curate of Bury for many years,
his name appearing in the registers from
1628. He died 5 April 1656, and was
buried at Bury. See the account of him
in Bury Classis (Chet. Soc), ii, 208.

45. Paid first-fruits 4 July 1656; Lancs.
and Ches. Rec. ii, 414. He was presented
in July 1654 by the Countess of Derby
(Plund. Mins. Accts. ii, 46); but the Protector's presentation appears to have prevailed, though Lightfoot succeeded after
William Alt's death. He is identified by
Dr. W. A. Shaw with John son of the
celebrated Dr. John Lightfoot; Bury
Classis, ii, 246. He was Episcopalian in
his leanings, and was in 1655 denounced
by the congregation of Bury for 'certain
mistakes and miscarriages in point of
doctrine and practice'; ibid. 142. From
the date it would appear that he took up
his residence at Bury in the lifetime of
Mr. Alt, and also ministered there. In
1659 he was engaged in suits respecting
tithes; Exch. Dep. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and
Ches.), 32, 33. He became vicar of Bowdon in 1660, and died in 1661. He had
been an advocate of the Restoration, and
is said to have been deprived of his benefice for praying publicly for the king at
the time of Sir George Booth's rising;
Manch. Guardian Local N. and Q. no. 577.

46. He was a son of John Greenhalgh of
Brandlesholme, and educated at St. John's
College, Cambridge; Admissions St. John's
Col. i, 9; Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc), 126.
He was elected fellow of his College in
1632, but expelled by the Earl of Manchester (for the Parliament) in 1644;
Baker, Hist, of St. John's Col. (ed. Mayor),
i, 294, 296. He was a Royalist, and
attended the Earl of Derby on his way to
Bolton in 1651, being afterwards chaplain
at Knowsley; Stanley Papers (Chet. Soc),
iii, pp. ccxxxix, cclxxvii. He took the
D.D. degree in 1672. He died 27 Oct.
1674; Bury Reg. Hit will was proved
at Chester.

47. He was a correspondent of John
Walker, author of The Sufferings of the
Clergy; Bury Classis, ii. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, of
which he became fellow; M.A. 1662. In
1674 he received a faculty to preach
throughout England and Ireland from
James, Duke of Monmouth, then Chancellor of the University; Stratford, Visit.
List, Chester. Hit sermon at the Preston
Gild of 1682 was published, and in 1697
he printed a sermon Against Corrupting
the Word of God, directed against the
Presbyterians, which roused some controversy; Fishwick, Lancs. Lib. 391–2. His
will was proved at Chester in 1710.
A terrier compiled by this rector in
1696 for the benefit of his successor is in
the possession of W. Farrer. There is a
copy in Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii,
fol. 368. It contains a full account of the
rector's dues and the tenants of the glebe,
with advice as to dealing with the people,
especially those of Tottington. The Easter
dues were as follows: House and offering,
5d.; every communicant, ½d.; garden,
1d.; hen, 1d.; cow, 1d.; calf, ½d. (except there be seven); plough, 4d.; foal, 2d.;
sheep, each 1d.; every lamb, 1d. (except
there be seven); every loom, 1d.; every
swarm of bees, 1d.; wintering only sheep,
each ½d.; or summering them only, ½d.

48. Church P. at Chester. Thomas
Bankes had the right of presentation for
that turn only. The date in the text is
that of presentation. There was probably
some dispute as to title, for the new rector
was not instituted till 5 March 1712–13.
The rector was of the Winstanley
family, and founded a charity for the poor.
An anecdote of him is in Raines MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), xxxi, fol. 278.
James Bankes, of Trinity College, Cambridge, M.A. 1686, became rector of
Lilley 1706; Foster, Alumni Oxon.

49. Also rector of Winwick, under which
church he is noticed. At Bury he founded
a charity school, and started a dispensary.
Some anecdotes of him will be found in
Raines MSS. xxxi, fol. 335, 355.

50. Educated at Oxford; fellow of All
Souls; B.C.L. 1778. Succeeded his
brother as eighth baronet in the same
year; G.E.C. Complete Baronetage, iii, 81.
He is said to have been a charitable man,
but incapable of managing his affairs; his
creditors came upon him, the benefice was
sequestrated, and he died in the Fleet
Prison; Raines MSS. xxxi, fol. 344.
A further account of his speculations is
given in Barton, Bury, 106, 107.

51. Son of Geoffrey Hornby, rector of
Winwick; educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge; LL.B. 1809; rector of Felbriggwith-Moulton in Norfolk, 1813.

57. From the visitation lists at Chester.
The church ornaments existing in 1552
included four sets of vestments for the
priest to say mass in, three great bells in
the steeple and a little sanctus bell, a veil
to hang before the altar in Lent, &c.;
Ch. Gds. (Chet. Soc), 45, 46.
Roger Hodgkinson was one of the old
clergy, having been ordained priest in
1547; Ordin. Bk. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and
Ches.), 80. He was still curate in 1575;
Pennant's Acct. Bk. Thomas Duerden
was curate in 1599.

64. The original founder, Henry Bury
(d. 1636), who was a native of the place,
also gave a number of books, three or four
of which are still preserved; Old Lancs.
Libraries (Chet. Soc), 139. A school
magazine called the Clavian is published.

65. The details given are from the End.
Char. Rep. for Bury, published in 1901;
the county borough of Bury was not included. The report of 1828 is reprinted.

66. John Guest gave rent - charges of
£3 15s. each to the ministers of the
parish churches of Winwick, Leigh, Wigan, Deane, Radcliffe, Bolton, Bury, and
Middleton, to be spent in linen cloth for
the poor. His estate being insufficient
for the fulfilment of the bequests, an Act
was passed in 1663 under which this
parish received £60, Bury having £40 and
Tottington the rest. The rectors appear
to have had charge of the capital, but
owing to the insolvency of one of them
only £30 remained in 1828, for which
Rector Hornby allowed 30s. interest, expended in linen cloth. It appears that
£3 13s. 4d. was then independently held
for the benefit of the township of Cowpe
Lench in the Hundred of Blackburn; it
has since been lost.

67. As in the preceding charity, half of
the capital of £10 had been lost before
1828, and the 5s. given as interest by the
rector was expended on fourpenny loaves
for poor persons attending church. The
testator had named 'sixpenny jannocks.'
The Guest and Rothwell Charities are
now represented by £64. consols, and by a
scheme approved in 1863 the income,
35s. 4d., is spent on clothing or other
necessaries for the poor of the ancient
parish.

68. The capital of £60 is represented by
a rent-charge of £3 still paid by the owner
of the Winstanley estate. The income is
distributed in flannels, &c., by the incumbents of the different ecclesiastical parishes.
A benefaction of the Rev. John Lomax, 1694, had been lost by 1786.

69. He left £20, which was increased by
unknown benefactors to £84. In 1828
George Ormerod, the historian of Cheshire,
as heir of Thomas Johnson, who had held
the capital, granted a rent-charge of £4 4s.
a year; this is still paid, and a guinea each
is sent to the rector of Bury, and the
vicars of Elton All Saints, Walmersley, and
Heywood St. Luke, for distribution to the
poor. The original gift was for linen cloth.

70. Robert Shepherd in 1666 granted to
trustees a rent-charge of £9 arising from
his messuage called Hall-de-Hill in Elton;
they were to expend £7 10s. for the benefit of poor householders in Bury, and in
apprenticing children. In 1828 the £9
was paid by the then owner of the property, and was distributed in sums of from
5s. to 15s. among poor persons selected by
the trustees.
William Yates in 1810 bequeathed
£400 for the benefit of the poor. This was
in 1828 invested in Government stock,
and the income £16 3s. 10d. was distributed in sums of 10s. each.
Thomas Openshaw, who died in 1869,
left £4,000 for the poor; Barton, Bury, 106.

71. His £10 was lent to James Starky,
whose descendant, James Starky of Heywood, in 1828 paid 8s. a year interest; it
was given on Good Friday to poor communicants. The capital was, in 1863,
given to the official trustees; the income, 5s. 8d., is distributed as formerly.
Samuel Haworth in 1767 left a charge
of £2 10s. a year for linen or woollen
cloth for the poor; but his property being
leasehold, the charge expired when the
lease ran out, before 1828.
Heywood School was discontinued in
1891.
Bequests by Ann Bamford in 1778 for
education were void under the Mortmain
Acts.

72. William Clegg gave £1,000 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee; it is
now invested in consols, and the total income is £27 1s. 8d. a year. In 1890 the
sons of the Rev. Robert Minnittgave £150
in fulfilment of their father's intention;
this produces £4 6s. The two charities
are worked together; tickets for 5s. each
are given to poor persons to be expended
on clothing or the like necessaries.

73. The school was discontinued in 1883.
In this and similar cases the interest on
the capital is now applied to provide prizes,
&c., for school-children of the district.

74. The residue of the testator's estate
produced £481; this sum was in 1828 in
the hands of Thomas Kay, and the interest, £19 4s. 9½d., was distributed in
doles of money. In 1831 the capital was
expended in the purchase of a copyhold
farm in Musbury; this was sold in 1887
for £720, now represented by £649 consols. The income, £17 16s. 8d., is still
given in money doles to about ninety recipients.

75. His bequest was not available till
1876, when it was invested in £481 5s. 8d.
consols, of which a third was allotted to
Walmersley. The income, £4 14s. 8d.,
is distributed in money doles and gifts of
flannel.

76. Her will was proved in 1897. She
left £2,000, increased by a codicil to
£3,000, to the minister and churchwardens of the Jesse Haworth Memorial
Church for the benefit of workpeople at
her brother's mills at Walshaw, and of
the poor of the district. The income,
£82 7s. 4d., is distributed in money gifts.
Thomas Howard in 1808 left a rentcharge of £5 5s. for the poor of Elton; it
was distributed in blankets, but the charity
expired with the lives of the persons named
in the lease.

77. She left £1,000 to the vicar and
churchwardens of St. Paul's, Ramsbottom,
to keep her gravestone in good order, and
to distribute the remainder of the income
to the poor. An additional amount of
£41 8s. from other sources was invested
with it, and the total income is £35. All
but about 4s. for the care of the grave it
spent upon the poor in various ways, £5
being subscribed to the cottage hospital.
John Hall's benefaction has been described above. A third of the amount was
allotted to Tottington Lower End, and
the income is distributed in payments to
the sick.
The Rev. Thos. Bridge, rector of Malpas (1625–80), left £200 to the 'township'
of Holcombe; as there was no such township the executors refused to pay, but gave
£100 to Tottington. In 1828 the income was applied, according to the testator's wish, in apprenticing children. The
capital has long been lost; see Gastrell,
Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc), ii, 32.
John Buckley in 1737 gave £10 for
the poor of Tottington Lower End, but
nothing was known of it in 1828.
Lawrence Rostron in 1812 directed that
his executors and their assigns should
distribute to the poor any interest they
might receive from the trustees of the
turnpike road from Rochdale to Edenfield.
Nothing is known of this charity since
1867.

78. She in 1877 bequeathed £500 for
the 'deserving poor' of St. James's, Waterfoot; the ecclesiastical district includes
part of Cowpe Lench. See the End. Char.
Rep. for Whalley (Newchurch in Rossendale), 1901, p. 22.